Tiny toes

I have always loved tiny toes. From the moment Jacob was born, I became obsessed with the tiny feet. I love to touch them and look at them and love them. It has continued as the girls have been born as well. I seriously love the little feet, which is interesting because I don't particularly like my own feet or adult feet in general, an aversion developed thanks to an older brother. I will say Bart does have nice man feet though. Really, he does.

Anyway, I still love all 3 kids and their toes only now Jacob's have to be clean for me to want to touch them. There is just something about looking at them and wondering where they will travel and what they will see and do that is mesmerizing to me. And so, I took pictures of all of their toes the other day. I especially love that you can see the gross toe jam in Anna's toes as she won't let me touch them. Jacob on the other hand cleans his feet the minute the socks come off. And then cute Rachel, just learning to stretch and move her feet. She still kinda looks at you like, hey, who just moved my feet? I am sure you can guess who each set belongs to in the pictures below. Aren't they just so cute?


I also took a few pictures of their hands because they are just so beautiful. I can't wait to make these black and white. Isn't it amazing that we can make babies with all the toes and fingers and they just turn out to be so perfect? I still find it amazing. I wonder what these hands will do as well.

Boys Night Out

Last weekend Jacob and Bart were able to go to the Av's hockey game. Nana and Papa couldn't use their tickets and you have never seen two more willing participants. They will gladly bail them out anytime they can't be used. Nana bought Jacob a jersey as an early birthday present so he would be dressed in the proper attire. Anna and I got to stay home with Rachie and have a girls night in which proved to be quite fun too (Enchanted and popcorn=big fun). Jacob was extra excited to get to meet Dad and take the train to the Pepsi Center. They had lots of treats and came home with a big Nerf type thing in the shape of a hand that holds your drink for you. I am sure it is for beer, but hey, it works for Sprite and Diet Coke too. Jacob has become quite the Av's fan and the next morning was out drawing with sidewalk chalk and wrote 5 to 4 Go Avs. Did I mention it was a great game that led to overtime and then a shoot out, which they won, and I believe was the first time they've had a shootout at home. The boys didn't get home until nearly midnight, but hey, it was a weekend and who needs sleep before a soccer game? Sugar will carry you right on through. Here's to my 2 cute boys. I love them both!

Easter 2008

Easter was so fun this year. It was the first year that both Jacob and Anna knew what to expect. They were excited to wake up to baskets from Nana and Papa and a small present from the Easter Bunny too. They were even more excited to do the Easter egg hunt, as you can tell from this picture. It is quickly becoming like the Christmas tradition of sitting on the stairs before presents!
After the pictures, they jumped right into the hunt for eggs. Anna was allowed a head start so she could compete with Jacob. He was a good brother and made sure she got her fair share though. I think Papa and Daddy had the most fun hiding them all around.


Once the eggs were gathered and opened, we took a few pictures of just how many they had to find. We also thought it would be fun to put Rachel in the middle of them. She didn't make much noise. One day she will know the fun of opening the eggs! Okay, so they didn't turn out like Anne Geddes photos like they did in my mind before I took them, but hey, they are still pretty cute.

After all the festivities we got everyone ready for church so we could go and actually celebrate the true meaning of Easter. This is where exhaustion and sugar do not make a good mix. By the time we had everyone ready Rachel pooped again, Anna had a tantrum, and Jacob was ready to stay and have more candy. Naturally, I forced everyone out on to the porch for a great family photo and the end result after 4 pictures was not so great (as evidenced below). I will say that at least Rachel made a great debut in her dress for a special Sunday. Well, at least I have proof that every once in awhile we dress up and comb our hair and attempt to look like real people. Maybe next year won't be quite as exhausting!

Happy 3rd Birthday, Anna!

Our sweet Anna Kathleen turned 3 on March 22nd. We were extra lucky this year to get to have both sets of grandparents around on her real birthday. Grandma and Grandpa Nelson had to leave shortly after the party, but they were here for the best part. We spent the morning running errands and finishing touches for both the birthday and Easter the next day. Anna was so excited when we picked up her cake from Sam's Club. Sidenote: I normally make my kids cakes, but since everything I own is still packed up, I had to do a store cake. I was a bit sad about it, but my back after just having baby #3 is thanking me for giving it a year off. Anyway, I wish I had the camera with me when we picked it up, but the singing pictures are still fun. I love how she looks like she feels special and isn't that what it is all about? It is still weird to think that she is my big 3 year old girl. I remember her birth so vividly and how shocked I was that she was a girl as I was so certain she was a boy.

At 3, however, Anna is fantastic. She is the most stubborn little thing you have ever met, but boy is she also adventurous. She was the first of the kids to get stitches to prove it! She has a great smile and infectious laugh. She wants anyone and everyone to play with her (especially if you will play doll house). She loves pink yogurt, pink clothes---and will only wear things she picks out, ice cream (Baskin Robbins rainbow sherbet which is pink and orange), taking care of her sister Rachel, shopping, shoes, purses, sunglasses (yep, they are pink too), and following big brother Jacob around. Anna is very funny and loves to pretend to be about anything but her favorites are robots and doggies. She loves dolls and taking care of them. She is definitely a mother in training.

I think the thing I love most about her is that she is so darn independent and strong, qualities I definitely want her to have. I also love how good she smells, how cute she is, and how much she loves her family. Her Daddy is usually the apple of her eye, but there is room for the rest of us too. So, at this special time of year, we hope Annie, Anna Banana, Anna Banana Pants, sweet girl, princess, princess punk, and Anna Kathleen (Caf-a-ween is her pronunciation) knows just how much we love her. Happy 3rd Birthday, Big Girl!

The traditional family cake picture, but one of the only ones we have with all 3 kids and no crying! Aren't they cute kids? We think so!
Anna having just blown out her candle is proud and feeling special!

The picture with Jake is the present he gave her. He was so worried about me having a gift for him to give her, it was really sweet. Luckily, Mom (and Grandma who actually bought that one) were prepared! I love that he wants to give her gifts. The other pictures just have to speak for themselves as I am having technical difficulties right now!

Rachel meets Grandpa and Grandma Nelson

Rachel Elizabeth meet Grandpa and Grandma Nelson!!!

We were so excited to have Grandpa and Grandma come over to Denver to meet their newest grandchild. We are so blessed to be the 10th grandchild and there are another 3 on the way in the next few months! Rachel will have so many cousins to play with! We had such a great trip and definitely wore all of us out with shopping, swimming at the hotel, holding the baby, eating some yummy food (thanks Mom and Dad for cooking my favorite Mexican dishes), hanging out, washing the baby, more of Mom holding Rachel, and not to be forgotten, we watched A LOT of NCAA basketball. Good thing I like basketball as much as they do! We also got to celebrate Anna's 3rd birthday the day they left. I had a hard time watching them leave and definitely miss them so much, but we are so grateful that they could come and be with us during this special time. Rachel is so lucky to have such great Grandparents on both sides. She is already loved so much. We can't wait to see you again!

Grandpa and Grandma with Rachel

Grandpa loves how soft baby hair is...he always rubs his cheek against it!
3 Crazy Generations of Fun!

Mom loving Rachie in one of her new outfits!
Lavender is definitely a good color on her!

Add in the shrug sweater and she is a fashion queen already!
Grandma sure knows how to pick the cute outfits and how to love a girl!
This outfit is adorable, but it only lasted about 30 minutes before it was a complete disaster. Of course, by then we were already shopping and I was feeding her in the car. The poop got everywhere...a good 20 wipes later, a new outfit, a cleaner carseat, and with the help of my sweet Anna, we were able to catch up to Mom and Dad. By the way, this was the 2nd time in a row that Grandma had put on the diaper and a blowout had happened shortly after...is this a pattern?
One of my favorite pictures of Rachel in one of my favorite outfits. She is so beautiful.
Her sweet eyes trying to see everything. Here she is wearing a preemie outfit that as of today 2 weeks later, she has outgrown. It was SO cute!Rachel trying to go to sleep-leave me alone, Mom!Jacob had to fight Grandma for his time to hold Rachel. I love how he is dressed head to toe Broncos and how blue his eyes are. He truly loves holding Rachel and is an excellent helper. Fortunately Anna is learning to be like Jacob.
Time at the park...Jacob and Anna weren't ignored during the visit. Here we are at our favorite park, O'Brien Park in Parker. And it was a GORGEOUS day!
Grandpa was such a sport. He followed the kids around (bad knee and all) and played as much as he could with them. Jacob loves this spinning seat and Grandpa pushed him super high on it!We also took them to see the house and it had just been painted. I love it! And my husband is HOT in this picture too!All in all, it was a great visit! We miss you already and come back soon!

Tongue Tied

There are no pictures to accompany this post, just a few thoughts as I encountered Rachel's first medical procedure today. Yes, I did it. I had her fenulum released or a fenulumectomy (no I don't know if I spelled it right). What may you ask is that? It is getting your child's tongue tie cut. I have debated and stressed about this procedure for the entire 10 days that she has been alive. I finally decided on day 3 that it was absolutely necessary or we wouldn't make it much longer with breastfeeding. We were having such a hard time and thankfully I am not a first time Mom so I knew something was wrong. I asked and asked in the hospital about it and everyone said just wait and see what happens or as long as she is gaining weight it is fine. However, having great difficulty with feeding is NOT fine. I shall spare everyone the gross details, but I really almost gave it up. We were told our pediatrician could just take care of it, so imagine my surprise when on day 5 we went to the pediatrician and paid our $25 co-pay and he said, oh we don't do that here, you have to go to an ENT. An ENT? I am not kidding. And so I had to wait until today. I thought I was okay with it, but I got more and more nervous last night and this morning. Alas, we arrived to see this ENT and to proceed with the fenulum release. Of course, as I go to pull her out of the carseat for the scale it turns out she had pooped all the way up her back and front. So, with all that poop, a onesie and an outfit she came in at a whopping 7 lbs. I am certain it is closer to 6 lbs 11 oz. Maybe less by the amount of poop that came out. So there we stood ready for the moment and my Mommy protective nature kicked in. Was I really doing the best thing for her? Would she ever forgive me? Would I start crying as I watched in horror and of course due to the lack of sleep and overactive hormones? And most of all, would she really be okay? I hounded the doctor with several questions and then we went for it. It was painful watching them hold her little chin and head still and I couldn't look as they actually did it. Rachel didn't particularly like being held down, but as they held the gauze on the wound for blood the cute nurse rubbed her cheek and calmed her down. She never even let out a scream. I couldn't believe it. And I couldn't get to her fast enough. Amazingly they want you to feed her right there to soothe the wound (who knew breastmilk was so great) and it was a night and day difference. I couldn't believe how easy it was for her to latch on. I couldn't believe how well she ate. Fortunately it has lasted all of today and so I know I made the right choice. But man, it is hard to knowingly submit your child to pain...even though you know it is best for them and even though you know they won't remember it. What a stressful morning! I am so glad I did it, but it just reaffirms how much you love your child from the minute they are born. 10 days into this, I love her more than anyone could ever imagine. She better not ever doubt it! Of course, I apparently failed to explain it very well to my children as I was leaving. Jacob got it for the most part, but Anna came running to the door and wanted to see what her mouth looked like. I thought it was a pretty normal question until she asked me what Rachel would do with her tongue cut off. Oops. We had to explain it one more time. Gratefully, we are no longer tongue tied, although for a moment today as I waited for her to cry, I was tongue tied for just a moment. And that, my friends, is a true feat!

Tub Time!

Rachel's first tub at home! You can see how tiny she really is when you compare the size of the cup to her head.









She didn't love it at first, but once she felt the warm water, she calmed down. She much preferred the wrapping up in the towel at the end.














Here you can see how blonde her hair is already. She also looks EXACTLY like her Dad's baby pictures. Almost frightening really. Good thing Bart is so cute!

Anna looks on as Rachel gets clean. She liked watching and helping. She even helped wash her feet. Let's hope Rachel is as beautiful as her big sister!

Our New Family Life!

Here is a look at our "new" family shortly after Rachel was born. Anna was a little freaked out by all the wires and the idea of a someone else to share her Daddy with. She immediately wanted Dad to hold her when she came in the room. Jacob and Anna each brought a new baby Webkinz for Rachel to have. They wanted her to be able to hold them right away! It has been fun and challenging both to have a new baby in the family. We all love to hold her, but the sleep deprivation doesn't always bring out the best in Mom and Dad. Anna has decided not to sleep either, which makes for some really long nights! Jacob, however, has become such a big boy overnight it seems. He LOVES to be with Rachel and tells me how much he misses her when they are apart. I love this picture of them holding hands. It is one of his favorite things and makes him feel like she knows him and wants to be with him. He will sit and hold her for 30 min at a time and just wants to do anything he can for her. I think they will have a special relationship (at least I hope they will) as they grow up. He is so great with Anna, so I shouldn't have expected anything less with this baby. The last picture is one of Rachel with her eyes open the first night we came home. Each day as she opens her eyes more and more it is so fun to watch her learn and grow and to become more aware of us and her surroundings. Thankfully, Anna is getting more used to her and is proud to be a BIG sister. We are grateful for all of these beautiful children....even when they are challenging! Can't wait to sleep through the night again someday.....a girl can dream.

Introducing.....

Rachel Elizabeth Williams

We are so blessed and excited to share our new baby girl with everyone. Rachel was born on Friday, March 7, 2008 at 3:40 p.m. She weighed in at a tiny 6 lbs 10.2 oz and 20.5 inches long. She is the sweetest, best smelling baby ever! We were so surprised that she was so tiny. All reports were that she would be a big baby. Turns out she was just in there the wrong way...which made us wait a little longer, but not too much. Once she decided to turn herself around, she came out quickly. We had a fantastic labor experience and truly enjoyed welcoming her into the world. I am still amazed that our bodies can do this. I am amazed at how much you can completely and instantly love someone so small. I am so blessed that she is a healthy, beautiful girl. So far she is pretty mellow, but if her ultrasounds are any indication, she won't stay that way for too long. I am doing really well, I can't believe how much easier it is after the 3rd baby in terms of healing. I am super tired but have lots of help which is making it easier. And each day as it gets easier, my love for her grows. My love for my sweet husband grows and my love for my other kids grows. They are in love with her too. Jacob is completely taken and already possessive and protective as all big brothers should be. Anna is still somewhat unsure. When she is with me and the baby she feels like an important big sister, but isn't sure what to do when all 3 kids are around. I am sure it will take some adjusting and I have decided that we will for sure NEVER be on time for anything again if we ever leave the house ourselves again! Alas, here is our beautiful baby girl and I am certain there will be a lot of posts and pictures about her as the days and weeks go on. Welcome home, Rachel. We love you!

False alarm?!?

Last Sunday, I thought I was lucky enough to be having the baby, but to no avail. We went to our stake conference at church and the last half an hour nearly killed me. It took me a few minutes to figure out why I was so uncomfortable and then it hit me really hard. I could hardly breathe. I thought I should wait and see if they were regular or not and by the time they were and I got Bart's attention, we were winding down. He gave me the keys so we could start out the door, but they were such intense contractions, I couldn't walk fast enough. I could barely walk at all. Plus, I will admit I was terrified that I would stand up and my water would break right there in front of everyone on the wood floor and then I would slip and fall. Yes, that is a nightmare of mine for real. So, after the meeting was done Bart took the kids ahead of me to clear off the car that was covered in a few inches of snow and my Mom and I carefully braved the crowds trying to get out. I had to literally stop a few times because I couldn't walk through the pain. My cute Mom was visiting for the weekend and I thought she was going to burst with excitement. However, I have also inherited my Mom's stubborn will. She wanted to just go to the hospital, but I refused because I was in heels and more importantly, because I was hungry. I get so mad when I even think of how they try and tell you not to eat or drink ahead of time because who is really expected to do all of that work on an empty stomach? And to add insult to it they only offer you ice chips when you want to gulp down a 44 oz. Diet Coke, er water. And why do they always insist on breast feeding before you can even attempt to restore your body's resources? It makes me wonder if they really know what they are talking about! Anyway, obviously, I didn't have the baby last Sunday, but we did end up taking some pictures just in case. I am thrilled that I was wearing black as it definitely makes me feel slimmer. The kids were even well dressed and groomed for once at the same time, so we took a couple of family shots too. Which leads us to today, March 6th, my last day being pregnant. We are going tomorrow morning to get induced and to finally meet this little one. So check back in a few days to see just who we add to our family!

The Belly In All It's Glory!

Well, here it is,the much anticipated belly shot. The only thing is that the pictures never really do it justice. This thing is huge and apparently so is the baby. I know, I know my last baby was only 7 lbs 10 oz and my first was 8 lbs 5 oz, but with my stellar height of 5 ft 3 inches, this is a serious feat to be able to carry relatively large babies. And they are relatively large to my body! This picture was taken on Feb 21, 2008 at 36 weeks and 5 days, so we have grown even more since then. Fortunately the baby has also dropped so I think it makes your shape look a little better. I had to pull up the top shirt so that you could really see the bump of the tank top. This kid has been hiding in my ribs so when it finally dropped and I could breathe it made me excited that the end is actually near. Too bad that the rest of you has to get phat too. Well, for most people that happens. I wish I could say it was all belly, but obviously not! So, for those of you who requested it, there is the belly shot. One day I'll be able to use this against this child for something, won't I? Like, I carried you and looked and felt like this, so you better get an A in school? Do you think it will work? Yeah, me either.